Durham's Beyu Caffe owner talks strategic plan around closing two locations: 'Long-term success'

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- When you walk into Terminal 2 of Raleigh-Durham International Airport, you can't miss the aroma and sounds coming from Beyu Caffe.

The owner, Dorian Bolden, is a Georgia native who has been in business for 14 years.

"On one side you had North Carolina Central University, a HBCU, and on the other side was Duke, which is a PWI. There was this eclectic mix of Mayor Bill Bell, the community and the passion of people involved," said Bolden. "Coffee has always been the medium for us through it all."

He opened his flagship location in downtown Durham in December of 2009. In 2018, he opened a second location on the campus of his alma mater, Duke University. Bolden continued expanding and eventually opened a coffee shop at Boxyard RTP, but after three years he decided not to continue on with the contract. He also recently made a tough decision to close the flagship.

"Look at what the market is telling you and not be afraid to assess the market and reinvent yourself," he said. "I want people to recognize that our strategic plan of having to recognize the market, assess and take a step back even if that means having to scale back is what long term success really looks like."

Part of the success he is referring to includes opening locations at RDU's Terminal's 1 and 2.

"This is a brother who wasn't born with a silver spoon, who went to Duke to get that good old economics and sociology degree," said Bolden. "Our locations at the airport are doing very well. Our location at Duke is doing very well."

Eyewitness News met a New Jersey native and her daughter as they were buying coffee in Terminal 2.

"I stopped by for a cup of joe," exclaimed Katie Faigan. "Always great to see places that aren't the standard chains."

Bolden said there are three things you can do to continue to support him: tell people about the business, follow him on social media and buy a bag of his coffee, which is now in the coffee aisles of 28 Food Lions across the Triangle.

" We're the only local North Carolina and Black minority-brand on the shelf," he said. "That's big. That's big for Durham."